There is a long tradition of doctor-writers throughout history, most notably from the eighteenth century onwards, but going as far back as antiquity. From Keats to Smollett, from Chekhov to Conan Doyle, physicians have written about the great dramas of human life and existence. From their unique insight into life and death situations, doctors have created some of the most fascinating stories and characters in literature.
Dr Iain McClure, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist for the NHS and playwright for the BBC; Dr Gavin Francis, local Edinburgh GP and travel writer; Dr Peter Dorward, local Edinburgh GP, university lecturer and award-winning short fiction writer will form a panel discussing the ways in which being a doctor helps them to be successful writers and the ways in which writing helps them to be effective doctors.

This event aims to encourage interaction between the patient / doctor spheres outside of the consultation room. We also hope to be able to gauge the extent to which medics require ways and means to self-reflect on what they are doing professionally and why. By asking these doctors to think about their writing as a form of therapy in and of itself, will they see literature as a way of expressing their hopes and fears about their high-pressured roles as medical professionals?